The Simpsons
Summary
WhileThe Simpsonsseason 35 has been an improvement on the show ’s recent outings , the series still struggles with one of its oldest problem . The Simpsonshas been through something of a decisive resurgence in the last two year . Season 34 was single out for congratulations , with some online commentators claiming that the show ’s lengthy nadir was finally at an end andThe Simpsonswas now back to its old strengths . While few viewing audience could debate that seasons 34 and 35 halt a candle to the show ’s Golden Age from seasons 3—11 , there is no deny that there has been an obvious uptick in quality commence as ahead of time as time of year 33 .
WhetherThe Simpsonsseason 36can keep this improvement animated rest to be seen , but a few problems are working against the long - run serial . For one matter , The Simpsonshas access to an dateless stream of A - list Edgar Guest stars . While this would be a boon for many shows , The Simpsonshas been known to over - rely on flashy celebrity cameosat the expense of the show ’s main characters . This connects to another issue that harry the serial publication . While many TV comedies would kill to have as many beloved minor characters asThe Simpsons , focusing on minor Springfield citizens instead of the central household sometimes leaves the show feeling undirected . However , neither of these issuance is as deleterious as the large problem facingThe Simpsonsin season 35 .
The Simpsons Season 35 References A LOT of Real Life News Stories
The animated comedy riffs on a news story in every second episode
For a show that study eight months to grow an installment , The Simpsonskeeps commenting on old word stories as if they were still relevant . The Simpsonsseason 35 ’s real - life news referencesinclude , but are not limited to , the NFT bubble , the Theranos dirt , border control controversies , the Lake Erie Walleye Trail sportfishing tourney scandal , Sam Bankman - Fried ’s fraud charges , Bill Belichick , and Operation Varsity Blues . The last four of these tidings stories were all name - checked in the same expedition , season 35 , instalment 10 , “ Do The Wrong matter , " but all of them were well outdated by the time the episodes aired .
To be fair to the series , not all of these riffs on veridical news derail the plots of their instalment . Both the season premiere , “ Homer ’s Crossing , ” and “ Do The faulty Thing ” relied on topical new stories for their inspiration but still handle to tell compelling narration about Homer ’s moral ambiguity . However , in both causa , the timely satiric muzzle distracted from the independent game and made the outings sense unmistakably date . One joke fromThe Simpsonsseason 35 episode 10 successfully satirizedBankman - Fried ’s scandal without slowing down the episode ’s plot in the process , but this overstuffed outing went on to reference a half XII unrelated tidings report in the same storyline .
Why The Simpsons Can’t Keep Referencing Topical Plots
The show’s long production process makes referencing timely stories risky
The reason thatThe Simpsonscan’t keep relying on news stories is that they age gravely . This was evidenced by “ Wild Barts Ca n’t Be Token , ” an NFT - focused segment of season 35 , episode 5 , “ Treehouse of Horror XXXIV . ” In this segment , Bart was turn into a lucrative NFT by Homer only for Marge to then enter the blockchain to spare her son in aSnowpiercerparody . Non - fungible tokens were a craze in former to mid-2022 so , by the fourth dimension the instalment aired , NFTs had been out of the news for almost a class . This is one ofThe Simpsonsseason 35 ’s biggest problem , as potentially promising conceit end up feeling outdated and cringe - desirable .
The first 34 seasons ofThe Simpsonsare cyclosis on Disney+ with time of year 35 cyclosis on Hulu .
In contrast , South Parkspoofed the NFT bubble back in July 2022 with their feature film - length specialThe Streaming Wars . Like “ Wild Barts Ca n’t Be Token , ” this excursion mocked crypto as a speculative house of cards and warned about its at hand failure without spending much screentime focusing on specific unfavorable judgment of NFTs , the blockchain , and cryptocurrency at large . However , this special arrived over a year earlier than the Treehouse of Horror section . Critically , South Parkstruck while the iron was hot thanks to the show ’s fast - paced production schedule . The Simpsonsfelt sadly behind the timeswhen the show bemock NFTs over a year after their popularity top out .
Poorly Aged Satire Has Plagued The Simpsons For Years
The Simpsons has spent decades referencing stale memes and old jokes
The Simpsonshas a tenacious history of missing the boat ill . This was epitomized in time of year 32 ’s cringe - suitable Bernie Sanders jokes ( which air out nine months after Sanders dropped out of the 2020 election and over four years after he cast out of the 2016 election ) and the show referencing 2016 ’s viral meme Baby Shark in December 2019 . WhileThe Simpsonsalluding to controversiesabout the show itself can sometimes succeed , this is because meta - jokes allow the series to bemock its own shortcoming . Trying to make fun of intelligence taradiddle months and long time after they are forgotten is much less successful .
News Stories Mean Less Simpson Family Stories
The Simpsons themselves are the focus of season 35’s best storylines
What makes this issue worse is the fact that season 35 ’s best outings are character - centric episodes that do n’t rely on late news events for relevance . time of year 35 , episode 2 , “ A Mid - Childhood Night ’s dreaming , ” and episode 7 , “ It ’s A Blunderful Life , ” both focused on the Simpsons themselves and their relationships with each other or else of whatever news story was popular during their production . When the series spends less time trying to keep up with Twitter moments and more time highlighting , for exemplar , Homer ’s character shift in late twelvemonth , The Simpsonscan still feel like a funny , moving family sitcomdespite its years .
There Is One Upside To The Simpsons Focusing On News Stories
The show’s many cameos are actually improved by borrowing from current events
To be fair toThe Simpsons , there is one top to the show ’s obsession with trawling through the word for episode plots . This inclination gives the show a chance to produce new characterswho provide its frequent guest star with meatier cameo character . Season 35 , episode 4 , “ Thirst Trap : A Corporate Love Story , ” prove this point with Elizabeth Banks ’ queer Elizabeth Holmes parody , Persephone Odair . Banks was perfectly cast as the delusional , self - interested Odair , and the character acted as a vituperative indictment of Holmes while also functioning as a queer , ridiculous invention for anyone unfamiliar with the Theranos scandal .
In contrast , Taika Waititi’sSimpsonscameo as himselfin episode 9 , “ Murder She Boat , ” was much less successful precisely because the thespian / director was call upon to play a fictionalise ego - insert . While the instalment consume a few limp jabs at Waititi , the outing ’s depiction of him mostly come across as suck up and unfunny . The Simpsonsfares better when the show lets guest stars play original characters rather than themselves , a point that was proven again by Kylie Jenner ’s redundant appearance in “ Wild Barts Ca n’t Be Token . ” To this end , the news show - inspired plots ofThe Simpsonsaren’t always a bad matter .
Cast
